How much to pay a petsitter?

[Soupie]

Hi everyone

Wondering if anyone might have any idea of how much to pay either per hour or fixed sum for the following:

Visiting house and feeding 3 cats and playing with them/fussing them for an hour - twice a week between 5pm and 6pm. This would be a regular thing.

Going in on an evening and spending 2 hours with cats, playing and fussing and feeding and doing litter trays and then coming back next morning and doing same for an hour? Occasional one offs

My friend has always helped out when I go away but now I have 3 we are looking at making the arrangements more formal. She only lives 5 minutes away in car.

Also how much would you pay for daily care - two visits a day - for a holiday and how much for overnight stays?

Hope you can help?

Soupie x

[babycakes]

Best to ask Elaine that as she is the pet sitter extrordinaire (can't spell that) anyway why didn't I just say Elaine is the professional to answer you quieries.

[Kazz]

No idea, but I being cat free would do it for free.

Elaine could be one of the best to ask, or Hilary I am sure she has a pet sitter now for Dinah.

[charliebubs]

I have a pet sitter for mine when I go away and they charge £7 per visit. They stay between half an hour and an hour each time, play with the cats, clean the litter trays, feed, water, groom and generally fuss them!! Plus if I'm away for a few days they will turn the lights on and off, move my post and water my plants ;)

I couldn't be without them - they are a husband and wife team and I trust them implicitly. I think they love my furbabes nearly as much as I do!!!!

Good luck in your search. :)

[Soupie]

I have a petsitter lined up already - my best mate but as I am asking her to do more now and there are 3 I want to pay her a fair rate :D

She would do it for free but it's a bit much really to expect her to now. Thanks for the advice so far though - I was thinking £6.50 - £7.50 a visit for the week ones so that fits.

[Kazz]

I think I would be happy to pay about £7 an hour so seems about the going rate for me.

Karen

[kado]

Anybody who ask's me too look after there cats i will do it. I dont get paid at all i do it because i love it. I am looking after my neighbours cat for 10days from today. I also look after my brothers 3 as well. So the most i look after at anyone time is 15 plus my own four.

jane

[Kazz]

Yes and I understand that but also understand that Soupie wants to put it on another level I think I would to as I would feel I was taking advantage of the friendship otherwise. I understand that totaly.
Its what I would do, especialy as she now has the three.

[Soupie]

Yes and I understand that but also understand that Soupie wants to put it on another level I think I would to as I would feel I was taking advantage of the friendship otherwise. I understand that totaly.
Its what I would do, especialy as she now has the three.

Thanks Kazz that is it exactly it. Once started this will be a regular arrangement of two one hour visits a week, 52 weeks a year and sitting for all my holidays ;) I feel it's unfair to expect someone to commit to that for free out of friendship ;)

[Kazz]

I am in total agreement there, I did something similar a few years ago a friend moved local and when he changed his shift at work I said I'd take his dog with my Gypsy for a walk on his shifts ie he worked 6-2 then 2-10 week about. His dog got on with Gypsy so no trouble to me to take him out (he was mongrel about collie size) so when I took Gypsy out at 5-6pm I'd take Rocky too in the mornings he too him out then went to work. This worked fine for a year or so even after he got married as she wored too then sadly Rocky was PTS with cancer and he got another dog and said "I'd rather you didn't walk Gypsy with the new pup as I don't want the pup to get attactched"

End of walking end of friendship end of contact. Somehow I had in his mind become the dog walker - okay we had a few choice words first. ;)

So I see where you are coming from Soupie.

[Elaine]

When i was looking into what pet sitters charged, it varied a fair bit. Some sitters charged & per hour for one cat but if there was more than one cat they would charge £14 for the same hour. Me personally, I think £7 per hour is reasonable regardless of the number of cats (unless of =course they have abgout 20 plus). 3 cats doesnt take any longer to see to that one in my opinion and an hour is ample time to make sure all is well with them.

[Soupie]

Plus of course she has access to my Sky TV and tea and coffee, biscuits etc ;)

Thanks I feel £7 is fair for what I am asking her to do and we can negotiate holidays etc :)

[Kazz]

Plus of course she has access to my Sky TV and tea and coffee, biscuits etc ;)

Thanks I feel £7 is fair for what I am asking her to do and we can negotiate holidays etc :)

You appear to be shaping up into a very fair employer.:-D

[charliebubs]

I think £7 is about the going rate. :)

I agree with the whole friends/family thing being a lot to ask. I do sometimes ask my sister or my lodger to feed the cats if I'm running late back from somewhere (and neither of them mind at all) but I would feel bad asking them to do the litter trays etc too, even though they have offered.

I'd rather pay someone and keep the friendship/family separate. Although I have to say that my lodger is wonderful and cleans up cat sick for me if there is any and she gets home before me!!!! She's a star!!!!! ;)

[Kay]

I better not let Mark see this thread as he looks after mine when I go to shows. He might start charging me ;) ;) .

Ithink the suggested rates sound very fair.